On the weekend of August 5/6 Anouchka and I climbed Virginia Peak. It
was
Anouchka's first time and for me it was a return after 14 years, when I
did
this peak as part of a PCS group in October 1992. At that time I still
remember Jim Ramaker saying that the area was gorgeous earlier in the
season, with lots of wildflowers. This was definitely the case, and the
hike in plus the slopes below Return Lake were full of lush greenery and
flowers. It was one of the most beautiful areas I've been to.

There was also lots and lots and lots of water. After last winter's
extraordinary snowfall there was still a significant amount left, and
the
runoff caused miriad little streams and vast areas of bogs. Anouchka
commented that it reminded her of New Zealand, except the bogs weren't
as
deep and didn't suck your boots off.

After calling in the Bridgeport Ranger station to collect our permit on
Friday night, we got to a nice crash spot off the Green Creek road
around
10:30 pm, at the tail end of a thunderstorm. To save having to carry a
wet
tent the next day we spent the night in bivvies, then left them in the
car
while we were away to dry out. I'd done an interesting weighing
experiment, and the weight of the tent was the same as two bivvies plus
the
additional ground sheet that would have been required. This surprised
both
of us but made the decision what to take easier - more thunderstorms
were
predicted and it's much cosier for two in a tent anyway.

The large snowfall presented us with another surprise - a large snowbank
just before Virginia Pass that couldn't be bypassed. Most of this bank
was
steep, with ugly runoff onto rocks, and we were wondering if we'd been
wise
in leaving the ice axes behind. Luckily, by early afternoon when we
were
there the sun had softened the surface somewhat and we were able to kick
steps up the least steep part, and had our shortened hiking poles at the
ready to attempt a self arrest had we slipped. With care, we didn't,
but
this bank would require ixe axes and crampons in the morning, with icing
up
overnight.

The original goal was Return Lake, but seeing we planned to climb the NW
ridge and not go up the face, we decided to camp a little lower (right
on
10,000') and to the northeast, in the meadows full of greenery and
flowers.
We were even treated to a deer, to add to the idyllic surroundings. The
predicted thunderstorm arrived and provided us with some hail and light
rain but we were able to prepare dinner under some trees (no, the
lightning
was some distance away!) and eat outside when the rain eased off. As
usual, my home-dehydrated Indian curry, daal and rice tasted delicious.
The chocolate and port afterwards went down well, too. This all helped
to
distract us from the mosquitoes, which were still prevalent and hungry,
even this late in the season. It was not surprising, with all the water
around.

We were away from camp the next morning around 6.45 am. The gulley
leading
up to the lake just north of the peak was rather wet due to melting snow
higher up and care was needed in several sections. Arriving at the
lake,
we were surprised to see it was still almost completely frozen over and
covered in snow. Only a narrow area near one edge was snow free, and
that
had a thin ice crust on it from overnight. The rest looked like it
would
in winter. It was impossible to tell where the shore was, and the banks
were steep snow slopes, so we skirted it with a wide margin.

Going straight up to the Virginia/Twin Peaks saddle was out of the
question
because of the steep snow covering the slopes, which was still icy.
Instead we had to detour further north on the ridge to find a way up
that
minimized snow travel. We eventually made the summit at 9 am, and were
treated to perfect conditions with no wind and great visibility. The
register I had signed in 1992 was still there and it was fun to read it.
Surprisingly, we were only the 3rd party up this year - I would have
thought this would be more popular.

It was tough to leave, but we had to. I had been concerned a bit about
descending the snow bank by the pass on the hike out, but retracing our
steps from the day before worked well. The rest of the hike out was
able
to be enjoyed for the beauty of the area.

Dinner was at the Mobil station on 120/395, where the steak caesar salad
was a winner. The place was packed, every table outside was taken,
music
was playing, and there was a festive air. I wonder how much business
this
place has taken away from other establishments in Lee Vining. All in
all,
a great trip and worth waiting 14 years.